


Echo of the Noise of the Rain

by wingsofecho



Category: Pandora Hearts
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-27
Updated: 2014-09-27
Packaged: 2018-02-18 23:04:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,419
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2365295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wingsofecho/pseuds/wingsofecho





	1. Chapter 1

There was a day when it began to rain, and it never stopped. The sound of the rain hitting the ground became a constant noise, something that narrated a person’s every movement, a melancholic companion that was always there. Oz Vessalius had given up on waiting for the rain to go away. Staying in the house was beginning to be a bore, and he really didn’t want to stay where he could feel his father’s hatred of him for any longer. And… He just wanted to be completely alone for a while. To be perfectly honest, Oz found the rain to be comforting in a way.

 

So he grabbed hold of an umbrella and snuck out into the rain that has been falling for so, so long.

 

Water had flooded the streets, and Oz’s boots were soaked up to his ankles, but the fresh scent of the rain and the noise of it that drowned all other sounds made him feel content. Oz walked through the empty streets, not thinking about his destination. Sometimes the rain poured down harder, making him have to work to keep the umbrella straight, but the outside was otherwise peaceful and calm. After some time of wandering, Oz’s toes began to feel numb and he thought about going back… Mrs. Kate was probably onto him and torturing Gilbert with Ada’s cats, too, so—

 

A soft humming of a melody drifted through the noise of the rain. Oz turned his head and saw that a red-eyed girl was walking towards him. Drops of water were dripping off the tips of the strands of her black hair, and her feet were bare. The girl didn’t show any sign of discomfort, though, she kept humming that soft, sad melody. It tugged at Oz’s heart for some reason he did not know.

 

“Uh, hey…:” Oz tried to reach out to her with his hand, but the girl ignored his words and just took his hand into hers. She ran, with Oz struggling to keep up behind her. The girl was leading him somewhere. Oz didn’t recognize her, but she felt familiar, he felt a certain trust towards her. And so he let her lead him. He did try to ask her some questions about who she was, but the girl would only look ahead and hum her melody. They went through many, many streets, and right at the moment Oz felt as if he was going to faint from exhaustion, the girl stopped and turned around to face him. She leaned forward and kissed the confused Oz on the forehead and then ran away, fading into the falling rain.

 

Oz touched his forehead, wondering just what kind of spell that ted-eyed girl had cast on him. He smiled to himself, at the strangeness of it all. Then he adjusted his umbrella on his shoulder and went to go home. But then he saw another girl. She white hair tinged with blue and was wearing a light dress. Her arms were wrapped around herself, and she was shivering, Oz noticed. She led me to her, he thought.

 

“Do you need some help?”

 

The girl looked up at him. “Who are you?”

 

“Ah, I’m Oz Vessalius. I was just sort of walking around and someone—she had red eyes— led me to you… So I was was wondering if you needed help…”

 

“No, Echo does not need help.”

 

“Your name is Echo?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Well, Little Echo—”

 

“It’s Echo.”

 

“— What are you doing here?” Oz tried to lean his umbrella a little towards Echo’s way, but she stepped away.

 

Echo was quiet for a moment, her blue eyes looking down at her arms covered in raindrops. Then she softly said, “Echo comes with the rain.”

 

Oz didn’t know what she meant by that, nor did he really know what to say to that. But he felt such sincerity in her words that he knew that, whatever she was talking about was important to her. It’s nice to have important things, Oz thought.

 

"I can’t say that I know what you mean, but I think that Echo is very dedicated…" Oz paused, suddenly struck with the desire to do something. Echo gazed at him.

 

"And I will be dedicated with you," Oz finished.

 

"Echo does not understand."

 

"I will visit Little Echo-"

 

"It’s Echo."

 

"-and be in the rain with her everyday, and thus I will be dedicated with her!" Oz smiled brightly. He was sure that this was a wonderful idea. Echo seemed rather surprised and reluctant, but…

 

"Echo thinks that you should do what you want."

 

When she said that, Oz seemed to glow. Then he looked around and realized something. He didn’t recognize anything. The red-eyed girl had led him to unknown territory.

 

"Um… I think I’m lost."

 

Echo had to lead him back home. She seemed to know where everything being touched by the rain was.


	2. Chapter 2

For Echo, the rain was something that she must always stay close to. She was the echo of it’s noise. From where the rain came from, she did not really know, but Echo felt it’s heartbeat, as if it were her very own. For Echo, being in the falling rain and battling the cold was what she had to do. Oz didn’t have to do this, and she did not understand why he felt the need to. But if she told what she really felt, Echo would say that she liked the idea of him coming to stay in the rain with her… She felt a sort of connection to him, and meeting him brought a little color to everything.

 

“Little Echo-”

 

Echo turned around. “It’s Echo,” she said to the boy bouncing down the steps of his porch.

 

“You waited for me?” He looked ridiculously happy about seeing her in front of his house.

 

“Echo did not want you to get lost again and have to lead you back home,” she said bluntly. Oz looked at her, and while still smiling, awkwardly waved his hand, the one not holding his umbrella, in the air.

 

“That’s… That’s a little cold, Echo,” he said.

 

Echo was about to speak up again about how it was true that Oz did not seem to know his town well-enough, but she let words about something else out. “Why do you want to be out here with me?”

 

Oz stayed quiet, thinking, and then he said, “‘Cause I like Echo!”

 

“That is not a satisfactory answer.”

 

“Well-” Oz was interrupted by the sound of a front door opening. Echo looked up and saw a tiny blonde girl peeking out.

 

“Big Brother…” The little girl looked worried.

 

“Ah, Ada! You can reach the doorknob now,” Oz said excitedly. Echo wondered about this boy. She really did.

 

Ada brightened. “I can, I can,” she squeaked, then she seemed to remember why she came outside. “Who is Big Brother talking to?”

 

Oz went to his little sister, picked her up with his free hand, and brought her over to Echo. He said, “this is my friend Echo, who is very, very good.”

 

Ada reached out to Echo, letting her hand get covered in raindrops. “Hello, Echo.”

 

Echo quietly took Ada’s hand, not knowing what she should say. But what Echo did seemed to be enough for Ada, because the girl smiled and squirmed out of Oz’s grip and dashed back into the house… And then came back with a stuffed bear with a rope tied around it’s neck in her arms. The bear was getting soaked, and so was Ada, but she held out the bear proudly. Oz laughed.

 

“Where did you get a bear like that, Ada?”

 

“This is Janta. Uncle Oscar got it for me at a festival that was about love! And I love Echo so I’m giving it to her,” she said, stepping closer to Echo. Echo gazed at the bear for a moment, then knelt down and gently accepted the bear. She hugged it close to her and smiled, the bear might have been soaked but it made her feel warmer. Ada clapped her hands and dashed back into the house again.

 

"Ada doesn’t get to meet people much, so she always makes friend with everyone the first time she sees them. Then she gets shy and runs off," Oz said cheerfully.

 

"Oh…" Echo looked down at the bear.

 

"Thank you for being her friend, Echo," Oz said.

 

"Echo is happy to be Ada’s friend."

 

"That would make Ada very glad."

 

Echo hugged Janta tighter.


End file.
